Strawberry and coconut macaroons

Posted May 12, 2015

Volunteers are the life-blood of Just Fair Trade and it’s always great to add new people to the team! One of our newest members is Lara who’s got into the truly glorious habit of bringing homemade goodies into the shop when she volunteers! A couple of weeks ago she turned up with these amazing old-skool macaroons and since we sell desiccated coconut, strawberry jam and chocolate we thought we’d offer what might turn out to be the first in an occasional series of recipes we love!

So pop into the shop, pick up your ingredients and get baking! Share photos of your finished products on our Facebook page or Twitter!

Ingredients

200g (7oz) desiccated coconut

200g (7oz) condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg white

15 tsp strawberry jam

150g (5oz) dark chocolate, melted

Get your bake on and delight your friends and family with this deliciously fruity new spin on a baking classic. Light, sweet coconut macaroons with a stawberry jam centre and a dark chocolate base.

Preheat the oven to gas 2, 150°C, fan 130°C. In a large bowl, combine the coconut, condensed milk and vanilla extract; mix with a large spoon.

Put the egg white in a separate bowl with a pinch of salt. Using an electric whisk, beat until soft peaks form, and then fold it into the coconut mixture.

Dollop the mixture evenly onto a lined baking tray to make 15 macaroons (approx 1 1/2 tbsp per macaroon). Using your thumb, make a light indent in the centre of each macaroon and fill with 1 tsp strawberry jam. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until golden. Leave to cool on the tray for 5 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cooled, dip the base of each macaroon in the melted chocolate, to come around 1/2 cm (1/4in) of the way up. Using a spoon, drizzle the remaining melted chocolate over the top of the macaroons in a zigzag pattern; leave to set.